ARHR advocates for GESI policies

Tamale, Ms Joyce Ami Amedoe, Programme Development Manager of the Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights (ARHR), has expressed the need for stakeholders to advocate for more Gender Equality and Social Inclusive (GESI) policies for the benefit of all.

She also called on state actors to ensure that the requisite resources were made available for the implementation of GESI interventions in health to ensure that the policies worked for all.

Ms Amedoe made the call at a dissemination seminar in Tamale when she presented a report dubbed: Integrating Gender Equality and Social Inclusion in Universal Health Coverage: Findings from Situation Analysis Report.

The seminar, attended by various stakeholders including representatives of non-governmental organisations, civil society organisations, Department of Gender and Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, was to deliberate on how best to address the findings of the report.

The report was compiled by the ARHR as part of the GESI project being funded by STAR-Ghana.

GESI refers to those who are excluded or left behind (the marginalized or vulnerable people) in society.

The report, which analysed amongst others the extent of integration of GESI in the country’s health policies and programmes, concluded that most policies and frameworks in the country were either gender neutral or gender specific.

It concluded that even with policies that recognise the need for gender equality, the implementation mechanisms in place do not address the problems identified adding the requisite resources are also not made available to achieve set objectives.

It also concluded that few policies focus on ensuring social inclusion adding Social inclusion is still not a well-known phenomenon in Ghana’s policy and programme implementation compared to gender equality.

Ms Amedoe said there was need to ensure that systems in place worked for the betterment of all citizens.

She said without ensuring that GESI is included in policy formulation, preparations, processes, implementation and programming, achieving UHC in Ghana by 2030 will not become a reality.